Robert, The Chromebook that is at the top of my list at the moment has only 4GB RAM. Installing and running Debian (or others) in a container worries me. When you are running Linux in a container, how much RAM is taken in all by Chrome OS and Debian?
I plan to use the tablet mostly for reading electronic editions of books and academic journals. I would install an SD card for storage, and I would never store things online or read things online. I would boot first to Chrome OS and then to Linux, which is all I would use. The tablet would seldom leave the house and would not be used for e-mail or web browsing. I realize that many consider me crazy to refuse storing things in the cloud, but my brain is already plenty cloudy without that. When I read something I want a copy of it on my own computer, not someplace in the cloud that I have no control over. On Thu, 20 Jan 2022 16:09:06 -0700 Robert Citek <[email protected]> dijo: >Same scenario here. I use the Chromebook for its standard features: >browsing, email, chat, music. I use the Linux VM ( container? ) with >Debian to do some light work in the shell or in a Docker container. >For heavier loads, I use the cloud ( AWS, GCP, Azure, etc. ). I have >Docker containers that have the corresponding CLI tools for working >with those APIs. I just pass in my credential and run with it. For >example, I recently had to do some work in Windows 11. I fired up an >instance on Azure via the API and connected to it using the RDP client >on the Chromebook. > >One feature I really like about the Chromebook is the Powerwash. If I >mess things up too badly, I can restore to factory defaults really >quickly. Chrome OS reinstalls my apps and some settings. The only >manual steps are to enable Linux and a few other items. I then have >scripts that configure my Linux environment and install my favorite >packages. For example, one script creates symlinks to my Google >Drive. I can access all my remote files as if they were local at >~/GoogleDrive. I’m not sure how Chrome OS mounts the remote file store >but sshfs might be the way ( just a guess. ) All the normal tools work >just fine on them: cat, grep, sed, awk, find, etc. > >Talking about things I have not figured out, Chrome OS seems to be >running an X-server since GUI programs like xterm and ImageMagick run >just fine. > >One item that is missing is a configuration manager for Chrome OS >settings. For example, whenever I Powerwash, I have to configure >manually my mouse and touchpad settings in addition to enabling Linux. >It would be really nice to have Ansible, Salt, Puppet, Chef, or >similar tool to configure those. Haven’t found anything, yet. Given >that all that is done through the browser, I’m wondering if >Tampermonkey might be the appropriate tool. Chrome reinstalls it after >every Powerwash. > >Regards, >- Robert > >On Thu, Jan 20, 2022 at 2:03 PM Timothy Scoppetta ><[email protected]> wrote: > >> My only experience with running linux (ubuntu) natively was with the >> original CR-48 prototype devices. On those linux ran like a dream >> but the touchpad was a nightmare with no drivers to tweak. The >> installation process was a breeze even back when chromebooks were >> new . My plan has always been to reinstall when I ran into something >> that needed "real" linux. I'm still waiting for that something. >> >> Anything I can't do locally I do in GCP where I keep a few systems >> powered down. I mount my homedir from a synology NAS in the closet. >> It's a workflow that works very well for me. There's even a >> globalprotect client for ChromeOS for those stodgy work connections. >> >> Tim >> >> On Thu, Jan 20, 2022 at 7:35 AM Robert Citek <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> > Thanks for your post, Timothy. >> > >> > I have almost the same environment here: read/listen to books on >> smartphone >> > or tablet or Kindle, otherwise use a Chromebook ( rarely, I'll use >> > my MacBookPro). In fact, if I need a "real" linux ( or Windows ) >> environment, >> > I just create one in the cloud and then ssh/RDP into it from the >> > Chromebook. I can even do that from my tablets which have Bluetooth >> > keyboards. >> > >> > Have you ( or anyone else ) tried the dev_install script in the >> > crosh >> shell >> > to then use emerge to install software in Chrome OS? I've been >> > able to install some things ( like tcpdump ), but not other things >> > ( like gcc ). >> > >> > Have you ( or anyone else ) tried booting a different distro from >> > either >> a >> > USB or SD card? If so, how did that go? I have not, yet, but >> > that's in >> my >> > queue. >> > >> > Regards, >> > - Robert >> > >> > On Wed, Jan 19, 2022 at 12:40 PM Timothy Scoppetta >> > <[email protected] >> > >> > wrote: >> > >> > > I use a kindle for the original use case described but my >> > > Pixelbook Go >> is >> > > the best linux netbook (does that term still exist?) I've ever >> > > owned. I >> > run >> > > a full debian install in a container and have yet to find any >> > > app or >> tool >> > > (GUI or command line) that I can't get working locally. I >> > > haven't tried heavyweights like gimp or bitwig and I definitely >> > > wouldn't suggest compiling on it. >> > > >> > > Happy to answer any questions about existing in the ecosystem, I >> > > use it daily and for me it works great. >> > > >> > > This is the one I've had for a little under a year: >> > > https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YMGQYP6/ >> > > -- >> > > Timothy Scoppetta >> > > >> > >> >> >> -- >> Timothy Scoppetta >> >> P: 845-459-3002 >> E: [email protected] >>
